1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an operation input device that is mounted onto copying machines, facsimile machines or the like having a table glass in the imagereading portion thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Office machines such as copying machines, facsimile machines or the like are required to be miniaturized because the space to be occupied by these machines must be designed as small as possible. In particular, machines that have an image-reading portion and a glass plate on which a manuscript is to be placed in the image-reading portion need to be miniaturized to the same size as the table glass.
Such copying machines comprise, in a compact manner, an optical system for irradiating the manuscript on the glass plate with light, a driving means for driving the optical system, a photosensitive drum for receiving the light reflected from the manuscript, and a power supply portion for supplying power to each of the working portions of the copying machines. These copying machines also comprise an operation input device that has an operation input portion for optionally specifying each function of the copying machines by manually operable switches.
The operation input portion of a conventional operation input device is located at the top surface on the front side of the outer casing of the copying machines for its visibility and operability. The inside of the area in which the operation input portion is located is nearly hollow and does not effectively function as a part of the copying machine.
Because of the ineffective space inside the area in which the operation input portion, including switches, is located, the size of the copying machines becomes large, in spite of an effort to miniaturize the copying machines by highly integrating the optical system and the optical system-driving means.